Sunday, September 25, 2011

Uh-oh. I've done it again. I've somehow managed to forget to want to blog. Bear with me as I correct this gross negligence and play catch up.

*Ahem.*

On September 1st we made yet another outing to Auditorio Telmex, this time to partake in some California Dreams with Katy Perry.

And let me just say right now that this...THIS...was The. Best. Concert. EVER.

In a move that was completely out of character since moving to Mexico, I did not bring my camera to the concert. This was partly due to the fact that I've been designated as the unofficial (i.e. not paid for my talents) photographer at work, and at any given time I find that the camera is at home and the charger is at work, or vice versa. Another contributor is that our new housekeeper likes to move things around. I'm talking finding-camera-chargers-under-the-bathroom-sink-behind-the-toilet-paper, EPIC moving things around.

So, on this night of nights with Katy Perry, I was forced to depend on the kindness of strangers. And who is stranger than my friends? Ha! Accompanying us on the trip to Candyland were our friends Genaro and Antonio. Both brought cameras. Both were very, very late in posting their photos on Facebook. Lame, guys. Very lame. Okay. They posted their photos two weeks ago. Half of the lame (and blame) belongs to me.

As I am wont to do, I pre-gamed the concert. You can infer from that all you want about my parking lot activities, and I'll neither confirm nor deny your accusations. But what I mean to say is that I Wikipedia'd the set list for the show in advance so that I could create the most awesomest Katy Perry playlist on my iPod.

Wiki didn't let me down, and what they showed is what we got:

California Dreams Setlist:

Teenage Dream

Hummingbird Heartbeat

Waking Up in Vegas

Ur So Gay

Peacock

I Kissed a Girl

Circle the Drain

E.T.

Who Am I Living For

Pearl

Not Like the Movies

The One That Got Away

Thinking of You

Hot n Cold

Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)

Firework

Encore

California Girls

The show begins with a video segment in which a bored Katy is working at a butcher shop. She is fired for her lack of energy, and on her way home stumbles upon a bakery where she falls in love with the Baker's Boy. She returns home that evening, falling into a deep sleep where she dreams about needing to follow the Candyland road in search of her missing pet, runaway Kitty Purry.

Along the way, additional video segments and on-stage interludes helped to create a vibrant picture of what life within this innocent, playful, sexually charged (yes, you can be all three at once) Candyland is like.

Highlights of the show include:

A character named "Slot," who's name sounded remarkably like "Slut," helping to introduceWaking Up in Vegas

Mimes giving Katy a "special" brownie that hindered her good judgement, leading the way to Ur so Gay and Peacock

Upon realizing that the brownie has turned her into a Catwoman, Katy mouthed "What-the-F---?", which segued into...

The most incredible laser/light show ever during E.T.

Katy riding a cotton candy cloud to the cheap seats, where she performed Thinking of You

A dozen or so costume changes occurring on-stage during Hot n Cold, by way of sheets, boxes, and glitter storms

Katy is of course reunited with her pal Kitty Purry just in time for the grand finale. And what of the Baker's Boy? Why, he greets her with fresh baked goods just as she awakens from her candy land dreams, of course!

With its numerous wardrobe changes, tongue-in-cheek humor, lighting effects, lack of a political agenda, and (uncommon among other shows that try for the same) cohesive storyline, this is one show that I won't soon forget.

Nothing more to say other than that I hope this sees renewed life as a DVD/Blu-Ray release once the tour concludes.